DANTAS, Raylla Maria de Oliveira.
Resumo:
Nutritional status is a variable that results from the direct relationship between food intake
and the individual's energy expenditure, facilitating the evaluation and identification of eating
disorders. In this context, malnutrition is seen as a public health problem, with a greater
number of cases in the underdeveloped countries and is mainly due to poverty, poor
environmental conditions and the social reality in which the affected populations live. The
present study aims to trace the epidemiological profile of hospitalizations due to malnutrition
in children aged 0 to 9 years in Brazil during the year 2017. This is a cross-sectional,
descriptive, quantitative, comprehensive epidemiological study developed from the Hospital
Information System (SIH), available online at the Department of Information Technology of
SUS (DATASUS). With the accomplishment of the research the northeastern region was
identified with the highest number of hospital admissions for child malnutrition. Regarding
the character of care of hospitalizations, it was observed that there was a prevalence of
emergency hospitalizations. The age group less than 1 year corresponds to more than 50% of
the cases and there was still a prevalence of non-white race in the color / race question. Given
the results obtained, it is possible to increase the knowledge, mainly of the professionals
involved in the assistance in the early stages of life so that they become able to recognize such
an aggravation and act before it. It is important to emphasize the importance of childcare in
promoting a systematic follow-up of the child, assessing their level of growth and
development in a continuous way, so that the child reaches its full potential, avoiding
problems such as malnutrition.
